Kia EV4 spied testing with funky, concept car-like design
A fastback version of Kia’s exciting new EV3 is on its way with design elements from the concept thrown in
The funky Kia EV3 is about to get a sleek fastback sibling, with a new Kia EV4 soon to join the Korean brand’s rapidly growing electric car line up. Spied undergoing testing on European roads, the new model is yet to be specifically confirmed for the UK. If it does arrive here it’ll be one of the few sub Tesla Model 3-sized saloon or fastback EVs on the market.
While few official details have been released of the forthcoming Kia EV4 production car, we do have two solid reference points that give us a pretty clear picture of what’s in store: the production EV3 reveals the technical details we can expect and the EV4 concept from 2023 gives us clues about its design.
Just like the EV3, the Kia EV4 will sit on a simplified version of Kia’s E-GMP architecture already used in Kia’s other bespoke EV models. The main difference between this new setup and the on in the EV6 is that it’ll run a lower-specification 400V electrical system in place of the larger car’s 800V system, with knock-on effects to things like charging speeds and overall range.
The system supports two different battery sizes – 58.3kWh or 81.4kWh – and in the case of the EV3 is capable of 254- and 374-mile range figures, respectively. The two battery options power a single, front-mounted 204bhp e-motor and reach 62mph in 7.4 and 7.7 seconds for the smaller and larger battery. We expect all of these figures to be close to those of the forthcoming EV4.
The EV3 and 4 should also share their charging capabilities, which are rated at a 102kW peak DC fast charging speed for the smaller battery, and 128kW for the larger. In both cases, they’ll do a 10-80 per cent charge in around 30 minutes, with 11kW AC charging expected from launch, with 22kW AC charging coming down the line. Like many Kia and Hyundai products, the EV4 should feature vehicle to load capability, essentially turning the car into one giant battery pack for running electrical appliances.
Beyond the technical details, though, it’s the EV4 concept car that gives us a good look at what to expect in terms of design. From the front, we expect the nose to be very close to that of the EV3, but from B-pillar back the body will stretch out into a fastback profile previewed by the concept. This looks to include the unique C-pillar design that wraps its way up and over the roof panel to create two small aerofoils.
Beyond a few colour and trim changes the interior will also be shared with the EV3. It will probably include Kia’s triple-screen display, and the same minimalist interior design with clean surfaces and the use of soft-touch fabrics across the doors and dashboard.
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